The Happily Ever After
by ell13
Summary: Post-BoO. Spoilers for the last book. Leo and Calypso at last return to Manhattan nine months after the war. Finally, our heroes will get their very own happily ever after.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own the ****_Percy Jackson and the Olympians _****series or the ****_Heroes of Olympus _****series. Anything you recognize in this belongs to Rick Riordan.**

**Author's Note: This is the first chapter of the ****_revised _****"The Happily Ever After" (yay me). This one's not too different than the original. I hope it delivers, though!**

After getting Festus repaired, Leo had his sights set on going to New York as soon as possible.

"If that's okay with you, of course," he had said to Calypso, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. In return, she smiled at him.

"Of course!" she exclaimed, "I've always wanted to go to that camp of yours."

Now, they were soaring through the skies, the wind blowing through their hair as a body of land inched closer and closer at the horizon.

Calypso pointed ahead as tall, blocky structures appeared in their line of sight, "Look! I-is that New York?" Her voice was full of excitement and anticipation.

Leo grinned, "Sure is, Sunshine. Ain't it beautiful?" Calypso nodded. The beauty of the city was vastly different than that of the garden at Ogygia. Rather than an earthly, natural kind of beauty to it, New York City radiated something that Calypso couldn't quite put her finger on. She leaned forward, intrigued by its ethereal glowing lights, the roads that crisscrossed the city, and the massive buildings that seemed to reach to the heavens. **(A/N: This is literally the longest paragraph I ****_ever_**** probably wrote in this fanfic.)**

When they first touched down, they actually landed a little near the outside of New York, where there were less mortals to witness a giant robotic dragon (or with the Mist, probably an airplane) land in the middle of a settlement.

Calypso frowned, "Leo, what are you doing?" Leo had dismounted Festus, and was now jogging away from them.

He turned back to look at her, and called out, "Just stay there! I just need to check something! I'll be back real quick!" Calypso sighed, and leaned against Festus.

"I seriously cannot keep up with that kid," she murmured to the dragon. Festus, in reply, let out a series of _clicks_ and _whirrrrs_ to express something that Calypso didn't quite understand.

Meanwhile, Leo was now in the midst of the city, searching the streets for anything with that day's date on it. It was quite nostalgic, to be back in the world of the living. He took a deep breath, remembering what it was like to be here, then continued his search. Whipping around wildly, he finally spotted a man in a suit carrying a newspaper. Soon enough, Leo popped up at the man's side, peering over his shoulder.

"Hey, can I borrow that? Thanks!" Leo snatched the newspaper out of the man's hands and dashed away with a smile.

"Hey!" the man shouted, but the boy had already disappeared.

A couple minutes later, Leo showed up to where Calypso and Festus were waiting, panting and holding up the newspaper triumphantly.

"Got it!" he announced, his breath beginning to even out. Anxiously, he flipped through the newspaper to the cover and scanned for the date. Calypso watched as his eyes widened, and then he gasped.

"What? What is it?" Calypso asked, concerned. Leo threw the newspaper to the ground dramatically.

"Nine months!" he wailed, "I've been gone for nine months! H-how could that be? Ohhhhhh, they are _not_ going to be happy with me! W-wait! Have I even aged? Is Hazel older than me now? Who's in charge of the Hephaestus cabin?!" Leo continued to rant nervously as Calypso stared at him with her eyebrows raised.

"If you're so worried, then shouldn't we try to get to camp…you know…soon?" Calypso asked.

"What if camp totally changed? I hope they didn't worry about me! Did I miss the fireworks again?" Leo rambled on.

"You know, Leo, nine months isn't that bad if you think about it," Calypso tried to reassure him, tapping her fingers against her leg impatiently, "At least it wasn't even more than a year! What if you were gone for a century or-" Calypso paused once she saw that Leo clearly wasn't listening to her. She sighed in despair.

"_Leo_."

"…yes?"

"Can we just go to camp now?"

"O-oh. Yeah, sure. Sorry, I got a bit…distracted there, didn't I?"

"You sure did."

The son of Hephaestus laughed, then clambered onto Festus again. He offered his hand to Calypso, and lifted her on.

"Well, if anything changed," Leo told her, "it's that I won't be the seventh wheel anymore!"

"Who said you still aren't?" Calypso teased, "I could still hate you." Leo laughed, and pulled her into a hug, startling Calypso.

"Oh, I seriously doubt that," Leo replied, grinning, "Anyway…" He let go of Calypso, and faced forwards. "It's time to go home."

She nodded, also beaming brightly, "Right."

Then, they took off again, towards Camp Half-Blood and the moment they had been waiting for so long. They were going home.

**A/N: That's a wrap! This one is definitely longer, and I snuck a little more fluff into this one (the hug). I hope you guys liked it! New chapter updates will come through during the next few weeks. Please see the last chapter for what's been updated and a note!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize.**

**A/N: Since I've been such a noob of an updater to the readers of this story, here's a present to anyone who's still out there, reading this. I'm so sorry for the long waits, but I'm going to try updating more frequently. I'm already working on the next chapter, so hold on a little longer, please.**

**October 13th update: Oops! Not a real update, but the chapters were kind of out of order, and apparently anyone who tried to get to this chapter via email alert couldn't get to this, and were instead directed to a presently non-existent "Chapter 3." I hope this will work now. **

The plan wasn't supposed to work out like this.

Leo placed his old, wrinkled hands atop his windowsill, looking wistfully out at the city before him: a city in a world that was not his.

He stared out at the ethereal landscape, still unfamiliar even after living in it for many decades. No, he thought. The numerous years of nearly never leaving his empty apartment couldn't really be considered "living," could it?

He caught a falling tear with his finger, grinning wryly at the tragically beautiful droplet, and then flicking it away.

Leo leaned out the window slightly, his face turned to the sky.

"It's been awhile, hasn't it, guys?" Leo whispered up to the vast, bright blue. As if it were for him, the city went silent for just one moment. For one moment, gone were the indistinct chatterings of the civilians below, and the bustling of transportation, and all the other sounds that Leo had once found lively and fun. As this occurred, a gentle breeze floated in through the window, filling the ever-desolate room with an intangible _something_. It was cool, as it was warm. It was smiling. Leo slowly smiled back at the breeze, before the city's activities resumed, and the breeze was swept away with it.

"Ah," Leo said, "I hope I'll see you again soon. I figured...it's almost my time now."

* * *

Nothing could ease the sadness of the irreplaceable years that Leo had lost. He still remembered that driving rush of excitement as he flew down to New York on Festus, with Calypso in tow. That was before he realized the time he had lost.

Camp Half-Blood was gone. The site was completely abandoned, as if the entirety of the camp decided to pack up everything and leave, like the Roanoke settlement. When he had at last found another demigod living within the city, the man informed him that Camp Half-Blood was indeed gone. It had relocated, and was now under a new name.

"_And-and what about the Seven? Where are they?" Leo asked nervously, his legs beginning to shake beneath him. Calypso, beside him, wore an expression of regret and guilt, seeming to have a realization._ Leo remembered clearly how the man responded.

"_The Seven?" replied the man incredulously with a loud chuckle, "Oh, I grew up hearing their stories when I was a kid! Each night, I would ask my mother to tell me about those seven heroes. Their adventures were my favorite fairy tales to hear when I was young."_

_Fairy...tales? He felt needles of pain pierce every inch of his skin. With hot tears blinding his vision, Leo stumbled away and ran, screaming out in denial._

"_Leo!" Calypso cried out, reaching for him. When she tried to run after him, she suddenly crumpled to the ground, racking with sobs. "It's all my fault!" she exclaimed in agony, clenching one fist, and using the other to wipe away the tears._

"_It's all my fault."_

* * *

Poor Calypso didn't last long either. After a few days in New York, with the two of them still coping the loss of all their friends, Calypso's immortality. From living on Ogygia for so many years, all of her life slipped away from her at once. Leo could do nothing but watch in pain as the only remaining happiness in his life was engulfed in a golden glow, and slowly faded away.

"_Calypso!" Leo clung desperately to her arm, "Don't leave, please don't leave."_

He begged like a child for her to stay.

_Mournful eyes observed him as her body grew increasingly transparent._

"_Leo, I'm sorry. This is my fault. If you hadn't gone back to the island-no. If you hadn't met me in the first place, then-"_

"_Don't you ever say that!" Leo yelled angrily, "You-you have made me feel _so _happy and loved, Calypso. I won't ever be able to thank you enough for what you gave me. So, please, just stay so I can at least try to make it up to you!"_

"_It's so unfair," Calypso said with a melancholy smile, ignoring Leo, "I should be the one left behind. I would do anything to let you reunite with your friends. Why am I not the one being left behind?"_

"_Calypso!" Leo wept, wrapping his arms around her now nearly intangible form._

"_At least I can go knowing that you can keep living," Calypso continued, tears coating her cheeks, "So live on, Leo. I'll miss you. I love you."_

_At last, his arms held nothing but air, and the light disappeared along with her, along with everyone else._

_Leo plead, "Please...don't leave."_

* * *

It's been 84 years **(A/N: Oops, Titanic reference?) **since he first arrived back in New York. Leo laid down on his bed near the window, leaving the window open so that he may be in the light during his final moments. Warmth flooded through his frail body.

"Aha, I guess this is it, guys," Leo remarked with a tinkle of a laughter in his voice, as his eyes began to droop. "I swear, if you guys aren't here by the time I wake up…!" He laughed once more, "Jason...Piper...Annabeth...Hazel...Frank...Percy...Calypso...everyone. Mom. Thank you for everything. I love you all. See you soon."

And suddenly, everyone was there. His family and friends were all waiting for him, radiating with promising light. He ran towards them, towards the light, towards the joy and love and laughter and memories.

"I'm back."

* * *

"Leo!" an irritated, but slightly concerned voice rang out. Above Leo was the most heavenly sight. Also known as his girlfriend (question mark), Calypso.

"Ahh, hey Sunshine," Leo greeted, rubbing his eyes to find that they were wet. "Huh?"

"Why are you crying, you strange little creature?" Calypso retorted, patting his shoulder comfortingly.

"I had this strange dream...that we came back and everyone was already gone," Leo replied, "And...I lost you too."

Calypso's expression became genuinely sad, but she put on a reassuring smile.

"I'm sure it's okay," she told him, planting a light kiss on his forehead, "We're almost there."

Leo stared off into the dark horizon, with the sun creeping slowly upwards and towards them.

"Yeah," he agreed, grinning broadly now.

"It going to be okay."

**A/N: That didn't go as planned. This is kind of the prequel to the first chapter, I guess. I wasn't sure if I would end it as being a dream or not, but I finally decided that having it as a dream could mean that I could tie it in with the pre-existing story, and then this could thus be counted as a kind out-of-place but totally official chapter. I hoped you enjoyed the short, kind-of angst! See you soon, then.**


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